Door-operating mechanism for dump-cars.



R. G. TAYLOR. DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM FOR DUMP CARS. APPLICATION FILEDNOV. 1, 1911.

1,087,61 6. i Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

' I a w R. G. TAYLOR.

'DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM FOR DUMP CARS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 1911. 1 ,O8'7,6 1 Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

6 SHEETS8HEET 2.

COLUPIABIA PLANOGRAPH CO.,WASDIXNOTON, DJC.

R. G. TAYLOR.- DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM FOR DUMP CARS Patented Feb. 17,1914.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 1911.

e SHEETS-SHEET 31 S MO MM R. G. TAYLOR. DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM FORDUMP CARS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 1911.

1,087,61 6. Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

R. G. TAYLOR.

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM FOR DUMP CABS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 1911.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

llll COLUMmA PLANOGRAPH co, WASHINGTON, D. c.

E. G. TAYLOR. DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM FOR DUMP GARS APPLICATION FILED11011.1, 1911.

1,087,616, Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

J'Zy. 7/

T s'rnrns ran RALPH G. TAYLOR, 0F DAVENPORT, IOVJA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO THE BETTENDOR-F COMPANY, OF BETTENDORF, IO'VVA, ACORPORATION OF IOWA.

DOOR-OPERATING MECHANISM FOR DUMP-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1?, ram.

Application filed November 1, 1911. Serial No. 657,999.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH G. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of Davenport, Scott county, Iowa, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Door-Operating Mechanism forDump-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improved door locking mechanism for drop bottomgondola cars.

It has for its object the provision of simple and efficient lockingmeans and one in which the weight of the door and the load carriedthereby is removed from the mechanism which is employed for closing thecar. Pivotally mounted arms are provided to which this weight istransferred, and the locking means is independent of the chains, so thatthe doors remain locked in position even though the chains should becomebroken.

These and other objects of my invention will be more readily understoodby reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is atransverse sectional view of a car bottom embodying the features of myinvention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view.Fig. 41 is a detail view showing the locking arm out of lockingposition. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the locking arm in lockingposition. Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are sectional detail views showing differentsteps in the closing of a door. Figs. 9 and 10 are plan views of amodified form of my invention. Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view of amodified form of my invention, showing the application of my improvedlocking means to a car having a roof-shaped bot-tom. Fig. 12 is asectional view of the same modification, showing the door in partiallyopen position. Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken on line 13-13 of Fig.11.

I have illustrated my invention in connection with a car comprising acontinuous single I-beam center sill 15 and cross-bars or needle beams16, which pass through the web of said center sill, and suitable posts18 to which the sheet metal side walls 19 of the body are secured. Alongitudinal center floor plate 17 is secured to the upper flange of thecenter sill. A series of knuckles 20 are mounted upon the center sill atsuitable intervals between the needle beams. These knuckles carry hingesof the trap-doors 21. The width of these doors corresponds substantiallyt0 the distance between the needle beams, and the side edges of thedoors bear upwardly on the flanges of the needle beams when the doorsare closed.

Supported by the ends of the needle beams there is a longitudinallyextending winding shaft 22 which extends longitudinally forsubstantially the entire length of the car, and at its end may beprovided with any suitable means for operating the same. The specificmeans employed not being essentially a feature of my invention, it isnot thought necessary to show or describe such means, as any suitablemechanism may be employed.

The winding shaft 22 is provided with a series of drums 23 which arelocated adjacent to the outer edges of the doors 21, there beingpreferably a pair of drums for each door, located on the winding shaftnear opposite sides of the corresponding door. Each drum is providedwith a spiral rib 28 having a serrated end portion 28". Upon this endportion there is mounted a pair of lugs or ears 24 which are adapted toengage with the clevis 25 in a manner to be hereinafter more fullydescribed. The chain 24 is secured at one end to the winding drum andwound between the spiral ribs 23 and is connected at its opposite endwith the clevis 25. This clevis, as shown more clearly in Figs. 4 to 8inclusive, comprises an arm having a bifurcated curved end portion 26,the lower outer edge of which end portion is serrated in the mannershown. The corresponding parts of the winding drum with which thisserrated end portion coac-ts is likewise serrated, in order to give asufficient frictional engagement between the two parts. The chain 24passes through this bifurcated end portion and is secured to the clevis25 in any suitable manner. The opposite end of this clevis is pivoted toan intermediate point of the locking lever 27, which locking lever ispivoted at 28 to the under side of the door 21. Suitable brackets 29 aremounted upon the needle beams in such position that they are adapted toreceive the end of the locking lever 27 when this lever is swung intolocking position in a manner to be hereinafter more fully described. Astrap 30 is secured to the under surface of the door and surrounds theend of the locking lever 27.

The construction and operation will be more fully understood by adescription of the manner in which the door is locked in position.Assuming the door is in open position, as shown in Fig. 1, the windingshaft is operated to wind up the chain 24:. The chain pulls upwardlyupon the door and brings it into the position shown in F 6. At thispoint the end of the clevis 25 bears against the portion 23 'of thewinding drum, which engagement causes the clevis to be forced backwardlyto the position shown in Figs. 4 and 6, in which the locking lever is inunlocking position. Further operation of the winding drum draws theclevis upward and over the winding drum, as shown in Fig. 7, and finallythe further operation of the drum brings the clevis into the positionshown in F S. In this position of the clevis the locking lever 27 hasbeen rotated into the position shown in Fig. 5, in Which the end portionof the locking lever engages with the locking lug 29 to securely lockthe door in position. The upper portion of the clevis 25 is curved inthe manner shown in Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive, so that as this clevis isdrawn over the drum this curved portion. engages with the under surfaceof the door 21, so as to force this door into closed position, as shownin Fig. 7 As the clevis is drawn farther into locking position in themanner shown in Fig. 8, this curved portion of the clevis drops out ofengagement with the door, owing to the fact that the end of the clevisis carried along the curved surface of the winding drum and thus movesdownward after passing the vertical center line of this drum. The door,however, is held in position by the locking arm 27 in the mannerdescribed above.

It is thus clearly seen that by my locking means the entire weight ofthe door is taken off the locking clevis 25, this weight being carriedby the brackets 29 mounted on the needle beams. This feature of myinvention is very important, as it transfers the weight of the doors tothe needle beams, and likewise removes all stress from the chains, sothat the danger of the door swinging open, owing to the breaking of thechain, is obviated. In order to unlock the door it is merely necessaryto reverse the operation of the winding shaft, in which event the ears2% engage with the bifurcated end portions 25 of the clevis, and forcethis clevis backwardly so as to rotate the end of the locking lever 27out of engagement with the brackets 29. The door is then free to swingdownward into the position shown in Fig. 1.

In Figs. 9 and 10 I have shown a slightly modified form of my inventionwhere, instead of a pair of winding drums, and a pair of clevises foreach door, I provide but a single drum and clevis mounted in the centerof the door. At the inner end of this single clevis 31 is pivoted a pairof locking arms 3233 which pass beneath the straps 34, which straps areprovided with hearing portions 35-36. In this construction, as theclevis 31 is drawn forward by the wind ing of the chain upon the drum inthe manner described in connection with Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive, theinner end portions of the locking levers 32-33 are drawn downward, andthus the outer ends of these looking levers are forced outward into theposition shown in Fig. 10, in which position they engage withcorresponding lugs 29 carried by the needle beams, in the mannerhereinbefore described.

In Figs. 11 to 13 inclusive, I show a still further modification of myinvention, in which my locking means is adapted for use in connectionwith a dump car having a roof-shaped bottom. In cars of this type thebottom is provided with two inclined sections, and the doors 37 arehinged at their upper end and are adapted in opening to swing outwardlyin the manner shown in Fig. 12. Carried by these doors are a pair ofV-shaped castings 38, which castings extend beyond the ends of the doorsin the manner shown in Fig. 13. These castings are provided with anangular bearing portion 39, which provides a bearing for the clevis 40.A winding shaft 11 is mounted in any suitable manner below the carfloor, which winding shaft is similar to the corre sponding shaft shownin the previous modiiication. The clevis 410 engages with the drum uponthis winding shaft, in the man ner hereinbefore described. The inner endof the clevis 40 is connected with one end of the locking lever 12,which is pivoted at 13, the opposite end of which locking lever isadapted when in looking position to pass back of the floor so as to holdthe door in locked position in a manner which will be clearlyunderstood. In unlocking the door the operation is similar to thatpreviously described in connection with Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive, it beingmerely necessary to reverse the operation of the winding drum, whichoperation causes the locking lever 12 to move out of engagement with thefloor and allow the door to be free to move into open position.

lVhile I have shown various specific embodiments of my invention, andhave shown my invention in connection with particular types of car, itwill be understood that I do not wish to limit myself to suchconstruction, as it will be obvious that many changes and modificationswill readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a dump car, a drop door hinged at one end, means for moving saiddoor into closed position, and a pivoted lever controlled by said meansand connected thereto adapted to swing in a plane parallel to said doorto lock said door in closed position.

2. In a dump car, hinged drop doors, a winding drum, a chain secured tosaid winding drum, means for operating said drum to move said doors intoclosed position, and a pivoted lever controlled by and connected to saidchain and drum adapted to swing in a plane parallel to said door to locksaid doors in closed position.

8. In a dump car, a hinged drop door, a locking lever pivoted to saiddoor, means for moving said door into closed position for controllingthe operation of said locking lever, and to swing the same in a planeparallel to said door into position for looking said door in closedposition.

a. In a dump car, a hinged door, a lever pivoted to said door, a windingdrum, a chain connected with said winding drum and said door, meanscontrolled by said drum and chain for moving said door into closedposition and for controlling the operation of said lever, to swing thesame in a plane parallel to said door into position for locking saiddoor in closed position.

5. In a dump car, a hinged door, a locking lever pivoted to said door, aclevis connected to an intermediate point of said locking lever, a chainconnected with the opposite end of said clevis, means for operatingsaid. chain for moving said door into closed position, and to move saidlever into position for locking said door in closed posit-ion.

6. In a dump car, a hinged door, a looking lever pivoted to said door, aclevis connected at an intermediate point to said locking lever, awinding drum, a chain connected to said clevis and said winding drum,means for revolving said winding drum to wind up said chain to bringsaid door into closed position, and to then move said clevis to bringsaid locking lever into position to lock said door in closed position.

7 In a dump car comprising a center sill and needle beams, a door hingedto said center sill, a lever mounted upon said door, a bracket, meansfor moving said door into closed position and then moving said leverinto engagement with said bracket to lock said door in closed position.

8. In a dump car comprising a center sill and needle beams, a doorhinged to said center sill, a lever pivoted to said door, a bracket, aclevis, means for operating said clevis to move said door into closedposition, means controlled by the movement of said clevis for bringingsaid lever into engagement with said bracket to lock said door in closedposition, and means for removing the weight of said door from saidclevis when said door is in closed position.

9. In a dump car comprising a center sill and needle beams, a doorhinged to said center sill, a lever pivoted to said door, a bracket, aclevis connected at the intermediate point of said locking lever, awinding! drum, a chain connected to said winding drum and said clevis,means for operating said chain to move said door into closed position,and means for then moving said clevis into position to hold said door inclosed position, thereby moving said look ing lever into engagement withsaid bracket to lock the door in closed position.

10. In a dump car, a hinged door, a looking lever pivoted to said door,a clevis connected to an intermediate point of said looking lever, achain connected with the opposite end of said clevis, means foroperating said chain for moving said door into closed position, and tomove said lever into position for locking said door in closed position,and means for removing the weight of said door from said clevis whensaid door is in closed position.

11. In a dump car, a hinged door, a looking lever pivoted to said door,a clevis connected at an intermediate point to said locking lever, awinding drum, a chain connected to said clevis and said winding drum,means for revolving said winding drum to wind up said chain to bringsaid door into closed position, and to then move said clevis to bringsaid locking lever into position to lock said door in closed position,and means for removing the weight of said door from said clevis whensaid door is in closed position..

12. In a dump car comprising a center sill and needle beams, a doorhinged to said center sill, a lever pivoted to said door, a bracket, aclevis connected at the intermediate point of said locking lever, awinding drum, a chain connected to said winding drum and said clevis,means for operating said chain to move said door into closed position,means for then moving said clevis into position to temporarily hold saiddoor in closed position, thereby moving said locking lever intoengagement with said bracket to lock the door in closed position, andmeans for then removing the Weight of said door from said clevis.

Signed by me at Davenport, Iowa, this 27th day of October, 1911.

RALPH Gr. TAYLOR.

WVitnesses CHAS. J. HAMNER, R. H. MULEI-IAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

